Eliezer Shakedi, the former commander of the Air Force, was interviewed this evening (Monday) by ‘News 12′ and addressed the recent events, the calls for refusal, the pilots’ letter, and the public protest surrounding the planned reform of the justice system.
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“I feel that our greatest duty is to do everything to keep a free and democratic Jewish Israel. We must not reach destruction. There are two central issues: one is that we must stop the legislation and find a solution already today. The second, this is the point in time we are in and we must not talk about Refusals. There is no way you call people and they don’t come,” he emphasized at the beginning of the interview.
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He also added: “There are three points in the protest – there is the stage where it progresses to stage number 2 – either they reach agreements, or there will be legislation and the court will reject the legislation. The third stage is that in the event of a constitutional crisis, the citizens have to think about what they are doing. As a commander, there is no way not to I will obey the court’s order. The State of Israel does not have a constitution. The meaning of this is that once the reform is passed, all kinds of decisions can be made – giving the ruler unlimited rights.”
Shakedi warned: “I don’t trust anyone who says, ‘Trust me.’ One does not imagine in the army. I don’t even want to say because it shocks me to think about it. We are causing destruction with open eyes. If we are not smart enough to stop this rift, we are making a terrible mistake.”
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As for the possible scenarios if the Supreme Court rejects the reform, he said: “If we reach point number two, that the reform passes, I don’t know what will happen here. I have never encountered such a situation. During the secession period, the decision of the legislative authority was the same decision of the executive and the judge. Today it is not the same situation. That is why chaos can arise here. Everything must be done to reach a path of compromise. Secondly, everything must be done so that there are no manifestations of reluctance of any kind. The president must do everything in front of the military and political echelons. There is no person in the country who is not disturbed.”
Regarding Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, he said: “Netanyahu is the Prime Minister of Israel. The fact that he feels he cannot go to the graduation ceremony of a boating course makes me sad. He is the Prime Minister of the country.”